Two dead after small plane crashes in field in Essex

Two-seat Cessna aircraft was being used for short flight experience when it crashed in Ongar on Tuesday, police say

Two people have died after a light aircraft on a “short flight experience” crashed in a field near Ongar in Essex, police have said.

The two-seat Cessna plane crashed in a field off Mill Lane, Ongar, on Tuesday after taking off from North Weald airfield about seven miles west, Essex police said. The two people onboard have not been formally identified.

DCS Morgan Cronin, of the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said the plane was “on what was expected to be a short journey”.

He said: “The two-seat Cessna aircraft was carrying out a short flight experience but sadly it did not return. At 12.30pm [on Tuesday] we were contacted by members of the public who reported a small aircraft had crashed in a field off Mill Lane, Ongar. Sadly we can now confirm that the two people onboard have died.”

Cronin added: “Due to the nature of the incident, this is likely to be a complex process and one which we will approach sensitively and compassionately. Their families will be supported and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. Our focus is to establish what happened and give the families the answers they need while ensuring they’re treated with dignity and respect.”

The Air Accident Investigations Branch sent a team of investigators who continued to gather evidence at the site on Wednesday. An AAIB spokesperson said: “At this point it is too early to speculate on the cause of the crash. We sent a multidisciplinary team, so we have investigators that cover engineering, human factors, operations and engineering support.”

Cronin said detectives and forensic teams were working in parallel with the AAIB, and the police were working alongside the fire service, the airfield and Epping Forest district council to “build an accurate picture of what happened”.

“We are also speaking to those who called emergency services and who witnessed what may have been a distressing incident,” he added. He said police would remain at the scene carrying out inquiries in the coming days. He appealed for any witnesses or those with footage to call 101 or to make a report online.